Trade Proposal Sends Eagles’ Third-Year QB to NFC South

The Philadelphia Eagles haven’t been shy about drafting quarterbacks since Howie Roseman took back his job as general manager after former head coach/general manager Chip Kelly was fired toward the end of the 2015 season.

Roseman, who had previously been general manager from 2010 to 2014, has selected 4 quarterbacks since 2016, including 3 since 2020. So far, he’s doing it with a pretty good rate of success.

Even the Eagles’ Super Bowl win following the 2017 season can be credited to Roseman’s QB picking acumen. He drafted both former NFL All-Pro Carson Wentz and his backup, Nick Foles, who stepped in when Wentz was injured and was named MVP of Super Bowl LII in Philadelphia’s upset win over the New England Patriots.

We saw it again in 2024 — another Super Bowl winning season for the Eagles — when starting quarterback and Super Bowl LIX MVP Jalen Hurts sat out all but one quarter of the final 3 regular season games. In for Hurts stepped a pair of backup quarterbacks to start games with Kenny Pickett and Tanner McKee.

McKee, a sixth round pick (No. 188 overall) out of Stanford in the 2023 NFL draft, showed he was more than up to the task.

In 2 regular-season games in 2024 — filling in for Pickett at the end of a 41-7 win over the Dallas Cowboys in Week 17 and starting a 20-13 win over the New York Giants in Week 18 — McKee went 30-of-45 passing for 323 yards, 4 touchdowns and no interceptions.

Still, Roseman and the Eagles drafted yet another quarterback in 2025, taking Syracuse’s Kyle McCord in the sixth round (No. 181 overall).

With Pickett traded to the Cleveland Browns as part of a deal that brought the Eagles backup quarterback Dorian Thompson-Robinson, there could be a market for the Eagles to capitalize on McKee’s value in a trade to one particularly QB needy franchise.

What Trading McKee Away Might Look Like

After New Orleans Saints starting quarterback Derek Carr shocked the NFL by retiring after 11 seasons on May 10, former Eagles offensive coordinator and current Saints head coach Kellen Moore found himself in a quarterback predicament.

Left with just rookie second round pick (No. 40 overall) Tyler Shough and dismal backups Spencer Rattler and Jake Haener, the Saints are in desperate need of competent quarterbacks. That means the time is now for the Eagles to capitalize on McKee’s value and send him to the Saints.

There’s a sliding doors aspect to trading McKee. If the Eagles can figure out a way to swap him for a third round pick or fourth round pick, they can take that pick and trade it for a decent safety to add to the roster.

Saints Need To Be Planning for 2026 Draft

While the Saints need to put up the appearance of trying to win games in 2025, there’s little doubt this is a team that should be thinking a lot about the 2026 NFL draft. As of right now, at least 4 quarterbacks seem like they should be surefire first round picks next year; New Orleans native and Texas quarterback Arch Manning, South Carolina’s LaNorris Sellers, LSU’s Garrett Nussmeier and Penn State’s Drew Allar.